Illusion of Safety
by Hazelcough
Summary: I...I had a dream...that the world will end soon." After Li Syaoran left Tomoeda for the magical city of Hong Kong, mysterious circumstances kept him from keeping his promise to Kinomoto Sakura...yet she kept hers - until the end of the world. SxS.
1. 00: facade

**.illusion of safety**

**00. façade.**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**The pain you feel…no two people can feel the same pain. No two people can suffer the same heartache…**_

Kinomoto Sakura did not know where she was. That fact, however, did not make her heart beat any faster. It was ordinary, after all, for her to enter the future through her dreams. As a dreamseer, the girl was well acquainted with the realistic atmosphere of her subconscious world; her visions of the future.

Yet somehow, this particular dream was different – the calm setting threw an ominous shadow over the city that somehow masked the usual brightness of daytime.

She was floating above a very recognizable location in Japan, as in her other see-all dreams. Sakura looked around the city with a small frown, taking in the familiar yet artificial scenery near Tokyo Tower. She could see the beautiful structure in the distance. _Funny, no one's here._ Even in her emptiest of visions, the setting had at least been remotely realistic. _Tokyo? Empty by daylight?_

In her eight years of dreamseeing, Sakura had never been so alone.

_**The pain…it hurts…right here.**_

There it was again. Her ears did not pick up on any sound waves…but somehow, she _felt _the words. They pulsated through her body, harmonizing with her accelerating heartbeat.

_**Is it because of him?**_

"Who's there?" Sakura called into the empty streets, completely devoid of automobiles and life. It was a new feeling – actually having free will inside of a dream – and Sakura held on to it for a few precious moments of worriless delight. She had never before been able to control her own body in previous dreams. But only the barren city answered her call. _"Who's there…who's there…who's there…who's…"_

…_**was I truly able to choose my future? Is this not fate's dirty game?**_

Sakura rubbed her temple. _Maybe this is a real dream, not a vision. Why are there no people? Why are there voices in my head? _She turned to the direction of Tokyo Tower – a place she had not been to since…the Final Judgment. Sakura's inner façade crumbled a little more at the nostalgia that thoughts of her childhood brought on. Suddenly drowning in the pain of her own memories, her sea green eyes sparkled with tears even in the synthetic sunlight. _The wasteland around the tower is so beautiful. _

The Card Mistress froze, her eyes fixed on the land around the tower. _Wasteland?_

It had not come to her attention before – the other side of Tokyo near Tokyo Tower. There was indeed a kind of desert surrounding the once-majestic tower, littered with –

Sakura inhaled sharply. _Bodies. _Tens of thousands of disfigured bodies and body parts – the remains of the life that used to thrive in Tokyo…and the world. Her brow furrowed underneath uneven bangs as she scrutinized the scene; heads, arms, torsos. The few bodies that were still intact were horribly mutilated. It was a fate worse than dying unnoticed. Sakura prayed that it was all simulated – a normal, somewhat-sadist dream.

But it felt _so real _to her. The collapsed buildings, the torn streets…they were all _there_. _Is this a future Tokyo? Is this a vision?_

Sakura turned in the non-existent gravity, and realized that the world was silent. Completely silent.

_What's going on?_

_**Syaoran-kun…he's gone for good this time, isn't he?**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Full summary: **_I...I had a dream...that the world will end soon. Yet...there seems to be two possible futures. _After Li Syaoran left Tomoeda for the magical city of Hong Kong, mysterious circumstances kept him from keeping his promise to Kinomoto Sakura...yet she kept hers - up to the end of the world, when the struggle between Tokyo and a ruined China will decide the fate of the Earth. Amidst all of this, the choices of Card Mistress Sakura and sorcerer Syaoran will fuel the final battle for love...and life. After all, coincidences do not exist...

**Ifclaimer:** If I owned CCS, Syaoran wouldn't be so chubby. And I don't.

**A/N: **Prologue-type thing. I'm truly excited about this one. It'll be an apocalyptic-tragedy type of story : D. I'm still a sucker for happy endings though, so I'm sure the conclusion will be quite unexpected.

Weird? Confusing? Horrid? Review . If I'm motivated enough, I'll update this one – a real chapter, of course – right after Broken Glass.


	2. 01: escapade

**.illusion of safety**

**01. escapade.**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hiiragizawa Eriol woke up screaming.

"Eriol?" Soft footsteps approached the boy's bed in the darkness. "Did you have that dream again?" A woman rushed over to his window, opening it to let in the cool night air.

Eriol stared blankly at the wall, his knowledge not at all providing him comfort. "Yes," he stated simply. "I saw the future again – the future I have always ignored. But now, Sakura-chan has had the vision as well…"

"Eriol…" the slender, red-haired woman muttered, "don't blame yourself." The boy laughed humourlessly. "Sakura's hopes and dreams will help her fight her destiny. After all, the girl still has unfinished business."

There was a long pause. "Hopes and dreams won't matter when _that time_ comes. What will happen…is inevitable," Eriol whispered with a sad smile. He looked up at Mizuki Kaho – his friend, teacher, and…something deeper. "I do believe in Sakura, but she will not get away with changing the future by herself…and ever since I split my powers with Kinomoto-san…"

"So there's nothing you can do to help her?" Kaho murmured miserably.

The boy's azure eyes twinkled mysteriously. "That is not my duty in the grand scheme of things. There will be someone else – someone very close to Sakura-chan – who can help her."

"Syaoran-kun?"

Eriol shook his head. "No. Someone she has never met before." Kaho shot the boy a confused look, yet maintained her perpetual smile.

He turned his head slightly, gazing at the brilliant panorama of London with pity drowning his brilliant blue eyes.

_I was foolish and egoistical…just like Clow Reed. The visions – they started before I met Kinomoto Sakura…yet I did nothing about them. The end of the world did not seem like something that I would be directly responsible for. So I ignored the warnings. _Eriol looked onto the cheerful, oblivious tourists in pain. _Now…it's too late._

_There are two futures – both are equally cruel to the poor girl and her special person. Two futures? Is that possible? Or is it fate that Sakura will choose one of the futures, therefore making only one future the only future?_

Inevitability? The idea was truly depressing to Eriol. _We are all part of the master plan. Someone's simply puling the strings._

_**Soon, Kinomoto Sakura, I will be causing trouble for you…again.**_

"Kaho, you can go back to bed now," Eriol suggested with a cheerful smile. "I'll be fine." As soon as the older woman left the room, Eriol's smile melted away.

Reaching under the cold side of his pillow, he felt around, eventually brushing over a hard glass container that he had prepared a month ago. Holding it up to eye level, Eriol scrutinized the crimson poison. _It's worth a try._

Slowly, the boy pulled out the cork that sealed away the dangerous fluid. Bringing it up to his lips, Eriol prepared the dump the substance directly into his throat. The poison never touched his mouth.

At that moment, an unnatural draft blew through the window that Mizuki Kaho had obliviously opened earlier, tipping the glass bottle from his hands. The fluid spilled out of its container. By the time the glass hit the floor, every drop of the toxic substance was drained clean. Eriol stared at the red stains on his otherwise clean sheets, amused. _It looks like there's no way out of it, Sakura-chan. _He closed his eyes. _I'm sorry._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Sakura chased uselessly after the train, which was rapidly gaining speed. Her clothes flew behind her, and her hair constantly dipped into her bittersweet tears. Somehow, none of it mattered to her anymore._

"_I will come back!" he promised, clutching the winged bear in his arms as he leaned out the small, grimy window. _

"_When?!" Sakura had to yell, as the wind was carrying away what was left of her tearful voice._

"_When I'm done doing what I have to do in Hong Kong!" he yelled back, the pools of pain in his eyes reflecting Sakura's._

"_When's that?!"_

"_It'll take time!" The train was pulling out of the station now, its engine coughing up smog and dust. "Will you wait for me?" The question felt purely rhetorical to Sakura._

"_Yes!" Li Syaoran had promised her that he would come back for her. And so, Kinomoto Sakura made her own promise that day._

**I will wait for you forever…because Syaoran-kun is the one I love most.**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_**Can people still wish? Even if they've lost everything for which they could wish for?**_

Sakura stretched groggily, her limbs cracking in effort.

"Tired, Sakura-chan?" A small, golden creature floated out of the girl's desk drawer, his own voice barely comprehendible. He rubbed his tiny eyes softly with a fingerless hand.

"You shouldn't be talking, Kero-chan," Sakura muttered, unable to force on her usual smile. _That dream…_

Sure, Kinomoto Sakura often had 'normal' dreams – dreams of the _impossible_. Just last week, she had dreamt of a more regal version of herself with an older Syaoran. The two had spent time talking on a bridge – a place Sakura had never seen before. She had been wearing a white dress embossed with marigold and pink ribbons and jewels – a princess' attire. Sakura often had dreams of herself as a princess…and Syaoran as a less-chubby young man with honest golden eyes.

The funny thing was that Sakura always watched them from above – like a vision.

She shook her head, mentally scolding herself for the thought. _He's been gone for six years. There are other things to worry about now…_

Like the images of decapitated heads…missing eyeballs…limbs littered on the ashy, crumbling asphalt of the city – the images that haunted her mind. "Kero-chan?"

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura swallowed. "Do you know anything about a desert in Tokyo? Near the tower?"

Kero stared at the girl in confusion. "You mean…in another dimension?" Sakura shook her head.

"I saw it in a dream."

"So, it could be in another dimension. Because as far as I know, the only desert Tokyo has is its desert of barren minds," Kero joked. His smile immediately faded when he noticed Sakura's grim countenance. "Err…I mean…are you sure it was a vision of _our_ future?"

Sakura turned to stare blankly at the cherry blossoms in full bloom outside. _No, this world is too full…too beautiful for something like that to occur. Yet, for some unexplainable reason, I _know _that the vision showed me our world – this world. __**I felt it. I felt **_**myself**_** in that dream.**_

…_**even if they've lost everything for which they could wish for…**_

_How can I lose everything?_

Gathering up her composure, Sakura turned back to her guardian. "I'm sure you're right, Kero-chan. It was probably nothing." Kero nodded solemnly, watching her as she closed her eyes again. Sakura could've sworn she saw a hint of cake-craving in the beady eyes. She held back a grin.

"Uhh, Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school? It's nine already…"

_**Even though I tried my hardest to fight my destiny…I couldn't change it. Everything fell into place…exactly as she had shown me…**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Glow!" Daidouji Tomoyo smiled at the sight of her childhood friend and the little pixie that was The Glow. Surrounding the two were spheres of effervescent light, drifting amongst the cherry blossoms. The moonlight gave the setting a romantic feel.

"Just as beautiful as ever, Sakura-chan." The double meaning in her words did not reach an oblivious Sakura. "You've always worked well with Glow."

Sakura smiled brightly. "It's my job to make the sakura viewing this year better than ever. Why not have a little help?" She turned to the card. "Thank you…ano, Tomoyo-chan, are you coming here tomorrow for the official viewing?"

"I…" Tomoyo gazed at her friend. "I think the sakura trees are much more beautiful in the moonlight," she answered cryptically.

"That's true," Sakura sighed. "Glow, can you keep yourself hidden tomorrow?" For a moment, there was only silence. Then, she noticed that the spheres were dimming. "Glow?" Sakura turned around, but The Glow was no longer there. "Glow?!" Frantic, Sakura ran around the trees, searching for the card.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?!" Tomoyo cried. An ominous gust of wind flew by, carrying her words with it. "Sakura!" The breeze picked up, coiling around the flowers as they struggled to hang on to their branches.

"Fly!"

Sakura floated into the darkness above the park, propped on a pink winged staff.

"SAKURA!" She barely heard the terrified scream of her friend through the mist that was encircling the area.

The last Kinomoto Sakura saw of Tomoyo was a few strands of her black hair, caught in the highest branch of a cherry blossom tree.

"T-Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura whispered as she landed on the ground. "Glow?" A soft, guttural cry reached Sakura's ears. She immediately spun around, facing the largest tree in the park. "Who's there?" The sound grew louder and more painful. "Tomoyo-chan, is that you?" Sakura noticed a soft light coming from the branches of the tree.

She made her way through the mist, gripping her staff and the rest of her cards tightly. "Jump!" Small, white wings materialized from Sakura's thin shoes, bestowing her the momentary ability to leap up into the tree. The cry grew even louder. Sakura parted the branches, looking between the cherry blossoms. She drew in a breath. In a small crevice in the trunk of the tree was The Glow, its small body in fetal position. Its eyes were squeezed shut, as if in pain.

Sakura carefully navigated between the branches, ignoring the pain that shot through her body every time her limbs hit a sharp branch. _I would _die _for my cards, _she told herself, _they've always helped me through…everything._

_**They've always been here, even when other people have left me.**_

As she neared the card, the silhouette of the pixie began to melt, soaring among Sakura's other cards. She allowed herself a smile. "You'll be fine now, Glow," Sakura murmured. She looked up into the starless night sky. _What just happened? Where is Tomoyo?_

_Why…why are all of my cards calling to me…in pain?_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Is something wrong, Wei?"

The old man gave the amber-eyed brunet a sad look. "Li-sama…she wants to speak with you. Her condition is getting worse…"

Li Syaoran swore under his breath. _Okaa-san, why are you doing this? Why are you trying to prevent the inevitable war? _He closed his eyes and swallowed. _You were the one who told me that the conflict between the two countries was fated – something we cannot prevent. Yet you…you use up all of your strength trying to hold it off. _"Is she in her room?"

Wei nodded. "She can barely sit up. The doctor says that it…won't be long now."

Syaoran left the room without another word, holding back his tears. He approached the oak door that belonged to his mother's room. "Okaa-san? It's me."

"Come in," came the smooth, sharp voice. Based on her voice alone, no one would've guessed that Li Yelan was on the border between life and death. Syaoran entered the room hesitantly, dipping his head to his mother. She beckoned for him to approach. "Did you know, Syaoran," she asked softly, her eyes barely open, "that 'Li' was the surname of the Tang dynasty?"

"Yes, you've told me that many times, Okaa-san," Syaoran replied.

Yelan smiled sadly and nodded. "You have to be strong, Syaoran. You've been training here…in Hong Kong…for six years now." She looked away from her son. "Even though you are still not ready to take on the challenges that have arisen in Japan, there is no time left."

"No time left for what?"

"I've already given up all of my energy to delay _that day_…but even so, my powers are not enough. It's rapidly approaching," Yelan murmured, her golden eyes sparkling with tears. "Please forgive me, Syaoran, for not explaining to you earlier…for making you cry every time I told you that you could not go back to Japan."

"What are you talking about?" Syaoran asked, his voice rising with frustration. "Okaa-san, you're not making any sense!"

"There's no time to explain." Yelan's eyes widened, and she began to cough uncontrollably.

"Okaa-san!"

She grasped Syaoran's hand desperately. "You…you have to…" Another choking fit broke her off. "…get to…"

"Somebody help!" Syaoran cried. "Somebody –"

Yelan's grip tightened. "No! I…I was meant to die…like this…for this purpose…" She swallowed, her throat closing in on her words. "Please…listen…"

The boy was on the verge of tears. "Yes…"

"You have to…go back to…Japan – _Tokyo_" She smiled painfully. "…to help…fight against…that rein –" Yelan suddenly gagged violently, her voice immediately disappearing.

"Okaa-san! No!" Syaoran cried, holding on to his mother. "No…"

The expression Li Yelan had on her face as she drifted into a perpetual sleep was not one of sorrow or regret, but of content.

_It's beginning. Therefore, it's also my time to go. I can only hope that Syaoran will not follow in my footsteps. He will surely survive his terrible fate._

Outside, Li Yelan's barrier shattered, and the peaceful, artificial thoughts of the people of China turned to one one idea: _Destroy the makers of the pollutants. Destroy Japan._

Outside, thousands of people fell dead due to the thick, polluted air that circulated through their bodies on a daily basis.

Outside, a man with navy blue eyes smiled sadly. "I'm sorry." In his hand was a staff of rich, golden material that formed the outlines of the moon and the sun.

_**Soon, nothing will matter…wishes…hope…dreams…civilization.**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In a different dimension, the soul of a princess' clone was stabbed by the one she loved the most. In her sorrow, the soul drifted away to fulfill her one last wish – a wish that resulted from the atrocities she foresaw in her dreams. After all, she could no longer exist in her own world.

_**Wait for me, Kinomoto Sakura. Soon, we will meet.**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Claimer: **Pre-story plot CLAMP's. Plot mine : D. All major (and some minor) characters CLAMP's. The nameless characters mine.

**A/N: **I might change the rating for safety. Eh. Depends on later chapters.

All of the Clow Cards mentioned will be from the original 19 that CLAMP uses in the manga. Everything else is also from the manga. No Meilin, etc.

Yes, hinted C!Sakura and C!Syaoran pairing. There will be developments on this, but C!Sakura will be the one who plays an active role in the storyline.

And no, this story is not racially biased oo. I'm Chinese myself.


	3. 02: meniscus

**.illusion of safety**

**02. meniscus.**

* * *

Eriol couldn't help but offer a sad smile to the raven-haired teenager - it was the least he could do, with what he had in store for her. "With your death, the countdown will begin." He couldn't stop the words from pouring out between his lips.

An amethyst-eyed teenager was bound to the chalky brick wall, her arms and legs forced together with thick, scarring lengths of rope. She could only murmur a groggy, "…why?"

"For Sakura-san's sake," Eriol replied honestly.

"I don't understand…"

"You are weak and useless, Daidouji Tomoyo. You will only hold Sakura back."

"Hold her back from what, exactly?"

"From the ability to fight her destiny."

"Eriol-kun, are you going mad?" she cried desperately, "Why are you doing this?"

"It is in my destiny to kill many people. When I kill my first person, I'll be at the point of no return."

"There's no such thing as destiny, Eriol-kun," Tomoyo whispered, her voice steadying.

"Oh?"

"You don't have to do anything against your will. So why must you kill?"

"Because I know better than to fight fate. I am not strong enough to do so. If I'm going to kill someone eventually, I want the death to benefit Sakura. With you gone, she can fight in peace without having someone to protect."

"Sakura-chan will always have someone to protect. And, Eriol-kun, there's one other thing you're wrong about." Tomoyo paused, unsure of whether or not it would be wise to go on. She cracked a grin. "I am not weak. To Sakura-chan, I may be of no use, but…I am anything but weak."

For a second, Eriol was lost. Then, he sneered – a cold, inhuman sneer. "So what do you want me to do, Daidouji-san?"

"Kill me. If it's truly for Sakura, death is of no consequence."

* * *

Sakura felt a strong sense of déjà vu emanating inside her body.

She was in complete darkness…yet she could see herself – her creamy skin, her nightgown. Her mind raced back to the time when she captured the Dark and the Light.

But this time, there were no cards involved…because she was asleep. She clasped her bear tightly but did not find comfort in the bedtime companion. A noise that sounded awfully like wind echoed through the dream. "Who's there?" Sakura called, her throat hoarse. "This is a dream, right?"

"Yes, but this is not your dream." Sakura squinted slightly towards the source of the voice. A figure was approaching her, its footsteps unnaturally even. As it neared, Sakura could make out the silhouette of a girl with wild shoulder-length hair and an exotic dress.

"Who are you?" Soon, Sakura was able to make out the girl's face. She inhaled sharply. It was as if the Mirror had suddenly materialized in her dreams, donning a younger look and a strange regal costume. The girl – her look-alike – had the physique of a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old. Yet her smoldering emerald eyes reflected more pain, loss, and worry than those of an elderly man.

She replied softly. The wind carried her words away. But Sakura could read her lips – they formed the unmistakable word "Sakura".

"W-what are you doing in my dream?"

"I already told you. This is my dream."

"Well then," Sakura continued, surprised at her own annoyance and impatience, "why am I in _your_ dream?"

The other Sakura scrutinized her curiously. "I was cloned from a princess. While I am in this temporary bodiless state, I can only dream – a death dream, I'm sure you've heard of such a thing…I brought you in here because there is something important I must tell you." Her gaze landed on the ragged plush bear in Sakura's choking hold. "What's that creature? I think I've seen something similar in a different world." The princess frowned, recalling a large (well, from a relative perspective) yellow winged creature by the name of Cerberus.

Sakura wore a frown of her own. "Clone? Princess? Different world? Who exactly are you?"

"Eh? I already explained, didn't I? I'm the duplicated soul of Sakura-hime of Clow Country."

"Clow…Country? I've never heard of anywhere like that. Is it in the east? The Americas?" Her brow furrowed in confusion and she rubbed her temple. "I really think my dreams these days have been getting less and less reliable. I mean, last night I dreamt of the apocalypse." At that, Sakura could've sworn that the girl shuddered. "And I'm always having these fantasy-like dreams of…you…" She trailed off with the innate feeling that there was a connection somewhere. She just couldn't grasp it. "…and….Syaoran-kun…"

"This is beyond the point," the young princess admitted sadly, "but I feel a familiar, strong aura from that animal in your arms. It feels like Syaoran-kun." She sighed. "Was it a gift from the Syaoran-kun in your world?"

Her mind spinning, Sakura decided to take the question figuratively. "Yeah. It's from Syaoran-kun. But he's no longer in my world."

Her reflection smiled languorously. "That's just like Syaoran-kun."

* * *

"…Sakura-san! Sakura-san!" Matsumoto Maki beat her palms frantically on the countertop, trying to wake the teenager. She shot an apologetic look at the irritated customers lined up behind the girl.

Sakura's head drooped slightly. Sighing lightly, Maki's eyes drifted towards the clock. The girl had mysteriously fallen asleep at the checkout counter ten minutes ago on top of her newly purchased notebook. It was alright then, as no customers had come in yet. But now…

"Gomen nasai," Maki repeated for the eighth time in thirty seconds. She bowed her head. That was when she noticed the boy who stood frozen at the rear of the line. Although the blank, detached expression he wore was not one Maki had ever seen on him, she immediately recognized the matured, angular features. "Li-kun!"

The boy's eyes snapped up, the life in them immediately flooding back in. They landed on the scene at the counter. A girl had apparently fallen asleep at the checkout line. He chuckled to himself. _Idiot._

Nonetheless, Li Syaoran pushed to the front of the line to help the veteran clerk. "How are you today, Matsumoto-san?" he asked conversationally. "Seems like quite an exciting day. I didn't know you still worked here." He didn't spare a second glance at the sleeping girl.

"I didn't know you were still in Tomoeda! How long has it been since you last purchased school supplies?" Maki remarked jokingly. Syaoran's smile froze to his face.

"I've been in Hong Kong, actually."

Maki frowned and tapped a sharp fingernail to her chin. "Yeah, I recall someone saying something about that." She smiled brightly. "So what brings you back to Japan?"

Syaoran stared intently at the colourful stationary stacked neatly on the shelves. Pandas, cats, fairies, unicorns…

"I'm not sure, Matsumoto-san. But I was told that…it's time."

"Huh? So you didn't come back for her?" Maki nodded at the sleeping figure. He stared at the woman in confusion.

"Who –"

"Hey, clerk! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

* * *

"So I was actually looking into your 'world'?" Sakura asked, shuddering. It was a spine-tingling thought – she had actually been watching someone else's life in her dreams. "But just a week ago, everything was peaceful. You were sitting on a bridge…and now…you're bodiless."

The princess looked around her thoughtfully. "I've heard from somewhere that the passage of time is different in various dimensions – much like the unique flow of every river. As you have dreamgazing abilities, you were able to tap into my dimension. The dream world is a strange place."

"Are we in the dream world now?"

"No," the princess hastily replied, her voice rising in pitch. "…he killed me in the dream world."

"So where are we?"

"The place where dying souls escape to – their death dream. You're in my death dream, Kinomoto Sakura, because there's something very important I need to tell you."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, _now_ you decide to give me a straight answer." A pause. "But I still have no clue what you're talking about."

* * *

"Gomen nasai," Maki called, a shade of red dominating her cheeks. She turned to Syaoran. "Ne, Li-kun, mind moving Sakura-san outside? She can pay for her purchase later," she whispered to the boy.

Syaoran was lost at "Sakura".

"Li-ku –"

A female scream resounded through the room almost telepathically, making every head in the store turn.

"You!"

* * *

**A/N:** Well, since chapter 189 of TRC just completely screws up any chance of a SxS canon with a tragic ending without children, I'm kinda mad.

Review, rant about chapter 189. Anything. I really hope they were fake spoilers.

Maki is from the anime series. Well, according to Wikipedia she is. I needed a shopkeeper and I didn't want to make an OC. I hope she's relatively IC though…

**Disclaimer: **Characters fromCCS, TRC, and the idea of a Tokiko-like sendoff (for Syaoran) are all property of CLAMP.

**Future Updates: **I'm really in no rush to finish any of my stories. I might decide to wait for reviews. Otherwise, I'll try to get one update per week for at least one of my stories. If I don't get to them, I'll usually write some sort of (random) oneshot.


End file.
